Canopy reflection poses potential problems in the cockpit during night time operations. For example, reflections on the canopy can obscure the pilot's vision of the space outside of the canopy, thus substantially reducing situational awareness. The geometry of each cockpit is different and some methods for managing canopy reflection might not work for the geometry of a particular cockpit. For example, for some cockpit geometries, polarization or modification of the backlight candela distribution is insufficient to correct the problem.
In vehicles with large reflective surfaces (e.g. aircraft that have both a front and back seat), the issue of stray light reflecting on the canopy is an issue. In addition, the inclusion of much larger liquid crystal displays (LCD) in the cockpit contributes to the reflection problem. Specifically, reflections may appear at dusk, dawn, or night from the front display in the area of the rear seated pilot that make it very difficult for the rear seated pilot to see out of the cockpit.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved systems and methods for controlling stray light in an aircraft.